Time to take female drivers seriously

Women can compete on equal terms with men in motorsport, so it is time to stop patronising those who are doing so, says Edd Straw

Not being female puts you on dangerous ground when it comes to attempting to empathise with a young girl with aspirations of making it as a driver in the male-dominated world of motorsport.

But one thing is clear: while seeing female role models competing on level terms with their male counterparts can only be positive, the patronising attitude of some, albeit well-meaning, observers is corrosive.